Opinion: Take down Church Street mural

A mural completed in 2012 celebrates the arrival of Samuel de Champlain in 1609 and includes depictions of many local celebrities and politicians. Produced Oct. 9, 2017.
JOEL BANNER BAIRD/FREE PRESS

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Albert Petrarca says that he vandalized one of the legends to the “Everyone Loves a Parade!” mural next to Church Street in Burlington on Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Petrarca claims the mural is racist because it excludes indigenous people in its rendition of history that started in 1609(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)Buy Photo

As opposition to the Everybody Loves A Parade mural has heated up over it being racist, culturally exclusionary and not accurately reflecting the city’s diversity, I’ve been thinking about my own reaction.

To be honest, I’ve never liked this mural very much, but more from an aesthetic perspective. My first level reaction was that it was loud, garish and not particularly compelling.

Whether or not I even noticed the underlying political narrative (and I think, at best, it probably registered as one mild thought in a flow of many other thoughts), the mural was mostly just something to avoid giving much of my attention while on my way to and from events, people and places in which I had far greater interest.

However, as soon as the conversation started from a social justice perspective, all the pieces fell into place. The truth is that this mural only covers one particular (dominant) thread in a considerably richer and more complex narrative, and, no, that is not right or just or fair or inclusive or honest.

While I haven’t yet seen this analogy, I can imagine that to Vermonters who have been marginalized and oppressed, the mural could be as repugnant as, say, a statue of a Confederate soldier.

The work of this moment in our collective history is to recognize, acknowledge and honor the people and communities who have been profoundly impacted by colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy and racism, and make apologies, reparations, changes and amends.

While some might look at it as a minor work of public art in a side alley of Burlington, removing this mural would be far more than a symbolic gesture. It would be an opportunity – hopefully one of many – to change the story we’re telling ourselves and our visitors about who we are as a community.

Removing the mural is an opportunity to show each other, and the world, that we do not fear the truth and that we are eminently capable of acknowledging and correcting our mistakes. While removing the mural might not appear as dramatic as removing statues of Confederate soldiers, the effect could be just as powerful.